Update from May 2025: To see pictures, click here to view pdf.

Greetings friends,

As May winds down and we look toward summer, we’re reminded again and again of how God is at work through relationships. This season is full—full of goodbyes and new beginnings, full of kids encountering Jesus in quiet and surprising ways, full of leaders who keep showing up.

Here’s what we’re holding in prayer this month, and we’d love for you to join us:

A Story You Need To Read

We’re still buzzing about Young Life’s latest Relationships Journal—featuring the story of Jake and Chris, and what happens when leaders stick around trusting that God can use them no matter their age! Our hearts are full and encouraged by this incredible story from our very own Kentwood Young Life!

The Buzz About This Quarter’s Relationships Journal

Preparing For Summer Camp Season

Soon, vans and buses will roll out across the region, packed with teenagers headed to Young Life camps across the country—places where joy is abundant and Jesus is near.

We’ve created a Summer Prayer Guide that includes every area heading to camp, staff serving on a summer assignment, along with Work Crew & Summer Staff volunteers from our region listed by name so you can pray for them.

Post it on your fridge as a reminder to cover every camper and every volunteer in prayer.

Celebrating Our Graduates 

Seniors are crossing stages and heading into the unknown. Pray they’d stay tethered to the truth that they’re known, loved, and never alone—and that they’d find spaces to continue growing in faith and community. If you have a high school senior in your life, encourage them to stay connected with Young Life and send them this link to find a club that is near to wherever they are headed next!

We’re also celebrating our staff who have not only poured themselves into ministry, but have earned their graduate degrees while doing it. Balancing full-time work with coursework, papers, families, and classes is an incredible feat! Congratulations to Ryan White, Area Director for Eastern Ottawa North. Ryan graduated from Western Theological Seminary with his Masters of Divinity! We are so proud of the way they’ve pursued growth—both personally and professionally—and we give thanks for all the ways God will continue to use their gifts in the mission of Young Life.

Wrapping Up Another Year

Clubs are winding down. For some kids, this was their first time walking into a space where they were fully welcomed. For others, it’s one more chapter in a long, faithful journey with their leader and with Christ.

Pray for kids to carry these moments into the summer—and for leaders to rest and refill!

Thank you for being part of this mission. Your prayers matter—more than you know. Together, we get to walk alongside kids, trust God with the big and small, and celebrate the beauty of ordinary faithfulness!

With deep gratitude,

Chris Theule,
Regional Director